The Museum of the Manx Regiment

The Trustees of the Manx Regiment Old Comrades Association decided to loan all their exhibits to MAPS because their members were getting on in years and have been finding it difficult to keep their museum at Tromode, near Douglas, operational. It was fortunate that MAPS could assist by offering a new home, thereby ensuring the survival of the collection as a whole and also by making it available to a wider audience. John Huxley, Chairman of MAPS, said: “This is a massive vote of confidence from the Association. We consider it an honour to take on custodianship of their historic artefacts and records which form a collection of great importance to the Manx nation. We get hundreds of visitors every year so a lot more people will be able to learn about the truly incredible feats of the Manx Gunners all through World War Two. We are proud to be able to carry the torch forward on behalf of these men who were involved in the Battle of Britain, the North African Campaign, the Italian Campaign and the invasion of Europe.”

The new Museum of the Manx Regiment gives a detailed history of the Regiment’s wartime service, with uniforms, weapons, equipment and photographs. The museum includes a special section giving a a detailed view of life in German Prisoner of War camps. Over 100 men of the Regiment’s 129 Battery were captured by the Germans on the Island of Crete in 1941 and spent the rest of the war in captivity. On display are photographs of daily life in the POW camps along with concert and theatre programmes and posters and a secret radio which was built by one of the Manx POWs and hidden in a hollowed-out log, kept by the stove in one of the camp huts. Another section shows some of the souvenirs which were brought back to the Island by members of the Regiment, including flags, weapons, and even a piece of Adolf Hitler’s writing paper.

The Manx Regiment (15th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery), used Bofors guns to provide anti-aircraft defence for factories, airfields and other military units. During World War Two the Regiment saw action in England, Eritrea, Crete, North Africa, Italy and in northern Europe. Its guns shot down far more enemy aircraft than any other light anti-aircraft regiment in the British Army.

Click on the buttons below for details on the opening of the new Museum of the Manx Regiment, for more details on the history of the Regiment, or for a preview of inside the Museum.